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Three major US news organisations have announced plans to sue the White House after it barred their journalists from the presidential complex, escalating a dispute between President Donald Trump’s administration and critical media outlets.
CNN, MS NOW and Politico said on Monday that they had filed a lawsuit after the White House revoked their press access last week. The organisations said the decision was made without warning or due process and was linked to objections over their reporting.
“This morning, we notified the government that we are filing a lawsuit today to protect our First Amendment rights and defend the principle that the government does not decide what the press reports or publishes,” the outlets said in a joint statement.
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They added that removing journalists’ credentials “without notice or process” because the government “objected to our reporting” posed a wider threat to independent journalism.
“Left unchallenged, this threatens press freedom and the public’s right to independent journalism free from government interference,” they said.
The legal challenge follows comments from Trump, who has defended the move by accusing some media organisations of spreading false information about his administration.
In a social media post on Monday, Trump said his administration was not targeting “the Free Press” but was instead acting against what he described as “FAKE NEWS”.
Trump also said media organisations should not be allowed to “constantly write or report FICTION and LIES” while covering the president, although he has not provided specific details about the reporting that led to the ban.
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The dispute has affected White House media operations, with CNN scheduled to serve as the television pool broadcaster on Monday — a rotating role where one network provides footage for other television outlets. Updated White House guidance listed a backup crew instead.
Trump has repeatedly clashed with major media organisations during his political career. In 2017, he described some journalists as “the enemy of the American people” and has frequently criticised outlets that have published unfavourable coverage of his campaigns and administrations.
The lawsuit now puts press access, government authority, and media independence at the centre of a new legal battle between the White House and news organisations.
